Most horrific outcomes have little to do with what you actually did. Sure, it’s true that for every action there is a deserved result. But that assumes that you are deliberate and purposeful with your activity.

That assumes that you know where you want to be and why getting there is so important to you. And a lot of the time, that intention is missing.

And so you do things that are stupid.

That’s how it appears looking back. You just seem stupid. (Ignorant too.) The reality is that you’re probably just missing an awesome purpose.

You’re doing “stuff” — sometimes the "right stuff." But the motions that you are going through aren’t fueled by the emotions that lead to amazing outcomes. You are missing a plan, a purpose, and obviously, passion.

So while you’re making what seems to be smart business moves, you don’t get smart business results.

And so you feel stupid.

And confused. And frustrated. Wondering why all of your effort isn’t leading to the outsized success that you read about with others using similar strategies and tactics.

Want to fix it?

Think about what you want to do.

(Think about it some more. And some more)

Imagine what that successful outcome feels like.

Calculate (carefully) what it will cost to get you there.

Plan steps to take each day that lead towards your goal.

Repeat steps 1-5 daily until you get to the finish line.

Notice that “time” and “thinking” are pretty much all that is required. That’s it.

That’s the difference between doing what looks smart and deliberately thinking and acting for yourself.

If you don’t think, you do something stupid.

You end up being a victim of whatever happens to come your way. You don’t determine what happens or what you do next. You just hope that nothing bad gets in the way of you being lucky.